


Tales From Sherwood

by LadyofAvalon



Category: Robin Hood (BBC 2006)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-12
Updated: 2012-06-11
Packaged: 2017-11-07 12:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 10,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/431428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofAvalon/pseuds/LadyofAvalon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some moments in time are meant to be forgotten. Others define who a person is in the time to come. Some even look back at the people and places left behind.  A series of drabbles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Set I

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the fifth Ultimate Drabble Challenge over at the Jedi Council Forums, where the challenge is to write a hundred drabbles in twenty weeks - five per week with the prompts the challenge mod put up each week.

**1\. Doctor**

"How are we supposed to get that out?"

"I don't know."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know, Much. Stop asking questions."

"Sorry. I just want to know how we're supposed to get it out of the tree…"

"Don't look at me. I'm a physician, not Robin. I don't have half a plan, Much."

"Djaq?"

"Yes, Much?"

"Maybe we should go get Will and Allan."

"Good ide- _ah!_ _Allan!_ "

"What? Thought I'd save you the trouble of finding me."

"You're an idiot."

"Yeah? You're also the one who cooks squirrel."

"I do not!"

"Much?"

"What?"

" _Shut up!_ "

* * *

**2\. Companion**

_I tried to have it all_ …

Shattered moments replayed in front of his eyes when the words passed through his lips. His gaze was met with a disbelieving look.

Isabella was no Marian. She never would be. She never _could_ be.

His past was with Marian. She had made him something special – Marian had given Robin Hood everything he wanted to fight for. Now that she was gone, he was broken. It was an undeniable truth. Marian had been his inspiration, his only reason to fight when things were difficult.

_I tried to have it all…_

His future was alone.

* * *

**3\. Time**

He left her. He left her behind for war. He had gone away, probably never to return. In the process, he had broken her heart. He did not love her.

After all, if he did, would he have truly left her for a war that he might not come back from?

Months passed. Eventually, she would stop spending her days looking out the window, hoping – praying – to see his silhouette on the road back to Nottingham. In her heart, Marian knew that it was useless. He would come back when it was over.

She would not be waiting for him.

* * *

**4\. Space**

There was sand everywhere. The land surrounding the Crusaders' camp was covered in it. Sand, dust, and more sand.

Captain Robin of Locksley rose to that every morning. At times, he reminisced of other sand – and the people who waited for him at home.

His mind would wander across the seas, back to England. Marian was an overarching thought in his mind.

He also found that he regretted much. He was torn between her and protecting his King.

Robin still prayed that she would be waiting for him at home. He missed her.

There was too much space between them.

* * *

**5\. Dimensions**

"See, it's all about the dimensions, Much," Will insisted. The only response he received was silence. "Much?"

"Why do I have to help with this?" the former manservant asked.

"Because Robin said so."

Much began muttering under his breath. He glared at the hammer the tall carpenter had handed him less than an hour before. The supposed attempt to create a hideout was _not_ going well (in his opinion).

"You're supposed to be working on that part, Much," Will reminded him, waving a hand in the general direction.

Several moments later, Much let out a yelp.

That hammer was _evil_.


	2. Set II

**6\. Island**

There was a time that Much thought of Robin's life in stages.

Before Marian, Robin had been different. He had done his best, but there had always been something lacking, no matter how hard he denied it.

With Marian – even when they were away, fighting alongside King Richard – he had hoped he would see his master marry her. He would be happy then. All of them would be.

After Marian, Robin was caught in a tumultuous, stormy sea. Isabella and Kate were only the bits of driftwood he found. His sanctuary island had been destroyed. Now the sea took him.

* * *

**7\. Survival**

It was over. Robin took comfort in that as the forest closed in around him. It was _over._

He had given so much in this fight for England and King Richard: his home, his father's lands, his possessions, the life of the woman he loved – and with her, any chance of happiness – and now everything else. Even his own life.

But life would go on without Robin Hood. So would the gang. They would go on without their leader. They would make England a better, safer place.

The sacrifices would not be in vain. They could go on without him.

* * *

**8\. Lost**

There was never another moment that he had felt as lost as he did now, sitting on the floor of a Clun barn, being comforted by Robin Hood. He had sworn to himself that he would kill the former Captain of the King's Private Guard for what he had done to his brother.

Now, he found that he could not bring himself to do so. Every story he had been told had been invented. Each of them painted Robin in a way that was not him.

In the moment that had nearly been his undoing, Carter found his purpose again.

* * *

**9\. Other**

He was not supposed to exist. He was not supposed to have brothers. He was not supposed to have lost both of them in the space of a few hours. Both of them, Robin and Guy, had given their lives for England, for the absent King Richard.

Now, here he was, standing in the shadow of the great Robin Hood. He was as good a shot as his brother, but he was _not_ his brother. He was not either of them.

For all his knowledge of great things, he could never be Robin Hood. He did not want to be.

* * *

**10\. Flashback**

The moment she saw him again had been her undoing. She knew that in the end. The very moment that Robin of Locksley walked away from her father's house the first day he was back, he took her heart with him.

She had tried to keep it. She had reminded herself that she had been left behind.

In the end, that did not matter. It did not matter now as she was dying.

Robin Hood had stolen her heart, just like the thief he was. She loved him anyway.

Marian just wished that it didn't have to end like this.


	3. Set III

**11\. Far**

It was far from over.

Sea air swirled around them. Waves crashed into the side of the boat. Seagulls circled overhead. Robin Hood's gang were making their way home, three fewer than they had started out.

None of them could begrudge Will and Djaq. Even Robin, who resented everything and everyone, could not bring himself to resent their choice.

It was a choice that all of them would have made, him included, if given half a chance.

But the fight was not over. They had won the day and they would win the war. They had to. Even without Marian.

* * *

**12\. Prisoners**

If there was one thing that Allan-A-Dale was not, it was a prisoner.

He was a free man. He lived, breathed, and worked in Nottingham Castle. He was Gisborne's man – he did whatever Sir Guy told him to do, and in exchange, he had his freedom.

Every step it took was a reminder of that freedom.

But every step he took also served as a reminder of what he had done, backstabbing his friends like that.

If there was one thing that Allan-A-Dale most certainly was, it was a prisoner. He was a prisoner to his own fear and betrayal.

* * *

**13\. Peacekeepers**

Once upon a time – or, at least, Robin thought he remembered such a time – the nobles in Nottinghamshire had kept the peace. They had cared for their villagers, made sure the sick were nursed, even gotten to know their people.

His father, Malcolm of Locksley, had been one of those who had done so. He had done what was right by his people, as he had taught Robin to do.

The new Sheriff of Nottingham had changed that. To be more precise, he had caused the general principle to be overturned entirely.

Robin Hood would change that. Or die trying.

* * *

 **14.** **Uncharted**

She was scared.

Lady Marian of Knighton would never admit it, but she was scared. Scared that Robin would never come home. Scared of life without her brave champion. Scared that the safeguards she had built around herself – so very like the small child she had once been – would come crashing down.

She was already in uncharted territory without him…

He had only been gone a few weeks. It would get better in time, she promised herself.

But years later, Lady Marian of Knighton knew one thing: life without Robin of Locksley – now Robin Hood – was not what she wanted.

* * *

**15\. Scape**

Letting go did not stop the pain.

Letting go did not stop the memories.

Letting go only made him better able to go on without the constant, painful reminder of what he had lost pounding in his chest. Letting go did not mean that the pain of losing Marian disappeared.

Time would pass, battles would be fought, but there was no escape for Robin Hood. His gang needed him. The people of England needed him. He would not abandon them.

Letting go did not mean that he did not look forward to seeing her again when it was all over…


	4. Set IV

**16\. Smart**

"I do not think that was the smartest thing you could have done, Much," a voice said below his head. Much twisted his neck to peer at his closest friend.

"I figured that out, thank you," he replied. Robin rolled his eyes, shaking his head at Much. The former manservant was hanging upside down, having been caught in one of the gang's many traps.

He had actually been hanging upside down for the better part of the day. Allan had seen him, but the (oh-so-annoying) outlaw had just laughed and walked off again.

"Are you going to get me down?"

* * *

**17\. 99**

_Ninety-nine… Ninety-eight…_

First it had been counting down. He had counted down the days until he and Marian were to be married.

_Ninety-five… Ninety-six…_

Then he had counted the days since he had seen her last.

_Ninety-one… Ninety-two…_

Then it had been the men lost in the battles.

_One… Two…_

Then the days without seeing Marian when he was in the forest.

_Six… Five…_

It was only when he was about to lose her to Gisborne that he truly realized what he was counting: all of the times he missed her, and all of the times he had lost count.

* * *

**18\. Chief**

He had always been a loner. Unlike his brother, Archer had never cared to have a group of people he trusted around him – even a small one, like Robin's gang.

They were, in a way, Robin's legacy. Robin Hood had evaded the Sheriff of Nottingham, avoided execution, and somehow managed to keep the people as his chief concern.

There had been a moment at the end that Archer had seen how truly broken his brother had been by his wife's death. He had hidden it well, but the romance that Kate now mourned had never been where his heart was.

* * *

**19\. Agents**

It was only after they had stopped being enemies that Robin and Guy realized that they were more alike than anyone would ever admit.

What they would not admit, even to themselves, was that the people that had been the respective spies in their camps had been the ones who had brought them together as brothers. Marian and Allan had set them on the paths they were on and saved both of them, in their own ways, either as friend or love. Archer had solidified it.

And in the end, both of Allan and Marian had sacrificed themselves, even unwillingly…

* * *

**20\. Shoe**

"Where have you been?" Marian turned to look at Sir Guy of Gisborne. She had an entirely innocent look on her face.

"I went riding," she reminded him. Guy continued to stare almost blankly at her, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You were gone for hours," he replied. Marian blinked at him.

"My horse nearly threw a shoe. I stopped and had a blacksmith fix it," she told him.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, really," Marian lied.

There was no way that she was going to tell him that she had spent her afternoon in the forest with Robin Hood.


	5. Set V

**21\. Super**

"You're not superhuman, Robin," Marian's soft voice told him. He looked up at her, tearing his eyes from the still-bleeding gash on his leg. He winced as he pushed himself up and limped over to his bunk.

"I shouldn't have gotten caught by that," he gritted out. Marian moved over to him, putting her soft hand on his cheek.

"You can't escape everything, my love," she told him. "Sometimes you must rest and allow the others to take care of everything."

"It's my duty, Marian. The people look to me…"

"But if you get yourself killed, what will I do?"

* * *

**22\. Bat**

"You look like a bat."

"Excuse me?"

"You look like a great bat in that cloak."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do."

"I do not!"

"Boys, shut up!"

"But Will looks like a bat with that cloak on!"

"Much, stop it. Just because he looks like a bat when he's wearing the cloak does not mean that you have to tease him about it."

"Djaq-"

"No, Much. Stop it."

"Fine. I still say that the way he wears that it makes him look like a bat."

"Whatever you say, Much. Now go."

"Fine…"

"Do I really look like a bat?"

* * *

**23\. Wonder**

When she saw the scar in Robin Hood's side, it haunted her. So often she had told him that he made it seem as though he could not be hurt. She had thought she had seen pride when he had not answered her before.

It had not been, she realized now. It had been a sort of resignation. He had not had a chance to answer her when she had asked him. She had cut him off and refused to listen.

Now she could only wonder. If he had told her before, would she have believed him? She should have.

* * *

**24\. Hawk**

The Sheriff was like a hawk around him. Always watching, waiting for him to make a single mistake so that he could have Allan hanged for it.

He did not like the former outlaw. That much was made obvious by the looks that he was constantly shooting the other man. If it was all the same, Allan didn't like him either. It was just that he was stuck there because Robin had caught him. It had been a mistake to begin with.

There were moments – and a lot of them – when Allan wished that he had never betrayed his friends…

* * *

**25\. Lantern**

She used to hang a lantern in her window. She would sit there and watch and wait for Robin to come. He would come and talk to her sometimes at night, him on one side of the window, her on the other.

Then he stopped coming. He went away and there was no one for her to talk to on those long nights. She stopped hanging the lantern in her window and waiting for him. She stopped wondering if he would come home soon. But she never stopped hoping that one day she would be able to see him again…


	6. Set VI

**26\. Destiny**

Disaster after disaster impeded them. Him going to the Holy Land to fight, the Sheriff's malicious schemes, Guy's many attempts to court her.

At the end of the day, though, there was only one man that Marian thought about, without fail. No matter what had gone wrong – or if she had seen him at all that day – Robin Hood always drifted to the forefront of her mind.

She loved him. More than life itself. More than England.

They were destined to be together. Lady Marian and Robin of Locksley.

Together, they could do great things. Together, nothing could stop them.

* * *

**27\. Legacy**

The fight was over. They had won.

King Richard had returned. He had reclaimed his throne. Everything Robin had worked for had come to fruition.

Yet, Robin of Locksley, posthumously restored to his status as a nobleman rather than an outlaw, was not there to see what he had done. He had not lived to see his King return from the Holy Land, nor to have the happy family he had deserved.

There was peace in England now – peace under the watchful eye of King Richard.

This was Robin's legacy. That was what he had always wanted to leave behind.

* * *

**28\. Hope**

There was no hope in his eyes. This dark man – the dark man on that dark horse she had seen riding through the villages for years now – was not who she had expected.

Meg, hateful as she was toward men, could not find it in herself to hate him as she did the others. He was sarcastic – an utter cynic – and full of self-loathing. But there was something different about him. There was something broken, something that she felt the urge to fix. She wanted to help him.

She wanted to bring hope back to his eyes and his heart.

* * *

**29\. Future**

When she was little, Marian could only imagine one future for herself. There were many versions of it, but they all had one thing in common: Robin of Locksley.

The day that they were betrothed was the happiest day of her life. She had no idea what had been in store for them in the years after that.

He had broken their betrothal to run off and fight that war in the Holy Land.

Then he came back. And somehow, he expected everything to be the same. Nothing could ever be the same. But she wished that it could be.

* * *

**30\. Fate**

Robin had never truly believed in fate. It was a metaphorical thing to him. He rarely gave a thought to it in the Holy Land, where his free time was spent otherwise.

He gave it even less thought once he was back in England after the long journey home. He had work to do and little time to think of things that did not matter. If he had time to think, his thoughts were on Marian. Stubborn, willful, _beautiful_ Marian.

In the end, maybe he did believe in it after all. Perhaps they had been as fated as star-crossed lovers…


	7. Set VII

**31\. Iron**

Behind the bars, he did not care. Sir Guy of Gisborne had nothing left to live for. He did not care what happened to him – and he longed to see it end.

It was his fault. _He_ had killed her, murdered her in a fit of rage. Or perhaps it was passion rather than rage. He was no longer entirely sure. He knew that it had been his sword that had run her through and his hand on the blade.

Marian's death had been unnecessary. She should have loved him, not Robin Hood. It would have been better that way.

* * *

**32\. Challenge**

Marian was a constant challenge for Robin. Her tempestuous beauty had drawn her many suitors when she had been newly of age for courting. But she had chosen him instead, the one who lost his temper with her half the time because of her stubbornness.

When he came back, she had been just as stubborn, unwilling to respond to his flirtations.

It was not until after the near-wedding that she truly challenged him – she agreed to be his wife, but only when they completed their task. He would do anything for her, no matter the task, no matter the challenge.

* * *

**33\. Stadium**

Every time she saw him, it seemed like Robin put himself in danger. Without fail, he seemed to be doing brash and bold, daring and heroic…

This time, it was her doing. He stood right under the Sheriff's nose, his face hidden by a hood. If Guy or the Sheriff found out it was him, he would be captured and hanged.

She held her breath as he loosed his arrow and it struck the target exactly in the center. Fear washed through her when the Sheriff shouted for his arrest. If he was caught, it would be her fault…

* * *

**34\. Chairman**

If there was one thing that Allan had learned from all of this, it was that the Sheriff ruled the Council of Nobles with the same iron fist as he ruled Nottinghamshire.

The whole meeting of the nobles today had been a complete fiasco. Marian and her father had been the only bright point in the whole day. They were the only ones – Marian tended to be more vocal than her father – who had bothered to speak up against the Sheriff's cruel treatment of the people of Nottingham.

This was yet another of the moments where Allan regretted betraying Robin…

* * *

**35\. Chef**

"Is this squirrel, Much?" Djaq asked suddenly, peering at the bits of meat on her plate.

"No, it is not," Much replied tersely. "Stop saying that!"

The rest of the gang laughed. Even after it kept coming up, the squirrel joke was still funny.

"Are you sure?" Allan inquired, grinning to himself. "I haven't seen any squirrels around here for a while…"

"It's _not_ squirrel! It's chicken!" Much shouted at the thief.

"It doesn't taste like chicken," Will piped up. Much glared at him.

"If you're going to be like that, why don't you start cooking dinner instead of me?"


	8. Set VIII

**36\. Ducks**

"And then he ducks, and the arrow flies right over his head!"

The children around him gasped, more out of disbelief than horror.

"What happened next?" a little boy interrupted. "Did Robin Hood beat the Sheriff?"

John paused, then shook his head. "Not then," he said. "The Sheriff ran away and started a new plot to kill King Richard, but Robin did save Lady Marian and her father that day."

"Did Robin and Marian ever get married?" another little voice asked.

Images flashed in John's mind, of dry, bloodstained sand. That was the day Robin had given up…

"Yes, eventually…"

* * *

**37\. Money**

At first, it was just about revenge – revenge for his brother's wrongful death.

Then it had become about the money that came when he took a job. With those coins, he could pay for equipment and the voyage to Locksley, where the man who was responsible for his brother's death waited. Robin of Locksley, former Captain of the King's Private Guard, would pay.

Getting there was tricky, and getting close to Robin was even trickier. But, he did it. He had tricked the outlaw, and now he had his change for revenge.

Then he wondered – did he really want it?

* * *

**38\. Uncle**

"Do you surrender?" Robin asked. A smirk played on his handsome features. Twelve-year-old Marian's heart skipped a beat.

She let out a squeal when he tickled her again. Her sides ached from laugher. She could barely breathe through the laughter.

"Never!" She gasped. Robin chuckled, his hands flying over her very ticklish sides.

"All you have to do is surrender and I'll stop," he promised her. She gasped when he tickled her again.

"Uncle! Uncle – I give up!" she gasped finally. Robin disappeared, turning his back.

That was his mistake. Marian knocked him over, then subjected him to similar treatment.

* * *

**39\. Gizmo**

"Will?"

A thickly accented voice behind him caused Will Scarlet to turn. The tiny Saracen woman behind him was holding something out to him.

"What?" he asked, frowning at it.

"What exactly is this…this…gizmo?" she asked him. He looked at her for a moment, then realized that he couldn't tear his eyes away from her face to look at it. Her warm brown eyes kept him nailed in that single spot for a long moment.

It wasn't until Allan returned a moment later that anything happened.

"What's all this, then? Staring at each other ain't goin' to get anything done."

* * *

**40\. Tales**

There were always stories of Robin Hood surfacing after his death. When a good deed was unclaimed, folk said that it was Robin, protecting them from King John.

Much only wished that it was true rather than one of the many wild tales floating around. He missed the man who had been like a brother to him. It was not the same with Archer. He was not Robin. Nor did he aim to be.

Robin would have been proud of him, though, Much thought. He might not have been Robin Hood, but he certainly lives up to his half-brother's legacy.


	9. Set IX

**41\. Murder**

_It's my fault._

He might as well have been the one to kill her. He was just as responsible as Gisborne was in Marian's murder. Her blood was on his hands as much as the other man's.

_If you had not loved me, Marian…_

If she had not loved him, Robin of Locksley, she would be alive now. If she had not loved him, she would have been happily married after he left. She would not be lifeless on the sands, dead because she loved him and her country.

_I am so sorry, my love…so very sorry…it's all my fault…_

* * *

**42\. Mystery**

He sometimes wondered exactly what his daughter saw in Robin of Locksley.

While Locksley cared about his people, and Edward genuinely loved him, he found himself jealous of the young man. Robin had stolen Marian's heart, clearly without the intention of giving it back.

He was a good young man, certainly, but there was a part of Edward that did not wish to let his daughter, his only child, his last remnant of his sweet Kate, go.

He would. He had to, and he knew it. Robin would take care good care of his Marian. And she would be happy.

* * *

**43\. Writer**

"What are you doing?"

A voice behind him startled Much. He dropped the thin brush he had been holding, jumping what felt like a foot into the air. Ink splattered onto the paper he had been _trying_ to make a list on.

"Allan! Don't do that!" he yelled. The thief raised his eyebrows.

"Well, _sorry_. Wasn't like I meant to," Allan replied. Much glared at him.

"Then why is it that you always manage to do that?" he inquired. Allan shrugged.

"Don't look at me. Maybe you're just not observant."

"Whatever. Go away."

"Much?"

"Yes, Allan?"

"What are you doing?"

* * *

**44\. Retired**

There was no such thing as being retired for a soldier. No matter who you were, it was a matter of honor, going out in a soldier's death.

It was something that young boys dreamed of – going out with honor, for king and country. Or, at least, Carter had dreamed of it. So had his brother.

It was a reality for those who fought for England to regain the Holy Land – there was always a chance that it would happen.

Some people were soldiers their whole lives through. Robin one, Carter was another.

Carter was learning that the hard way.

* * *

**45\. Teacher**

Lord Sheridan's betrayal hit him harder than he was willing to show – or admit.

The man had been his teacher when he had been younger, the man who had trained him and taught him everything about fighting save for archery.

The betrayal was close to the heart, from someone Robin had never expected to see betray the King. He hated it – it was just not right.

It no longer mattered. That was the last straw. One did not betray King Richard on Robin's watch and get away with it. No matter who you were. You did _not_ betray the King.


	10. Set X

**46\. Captain**

"Sir! The King wishes to see you in his tent!"

Robin of Locksley, Captain of King Richard's Private Guard, half turned. His green eyes flicked to the young soldier behind him.

"Thank you," he replied. His hand rested on the curved sword belt and his bow in was gripped in his hand.

To the young soldier who stood there, the Lord of Locksley was the very image of the glory they all hoped to achieve. He was a warrior.

The young man remembered that until Robin walked back into camp with his gang. He was still a warrior then, too.

* * *

**47\. Pilot**

They were lost without him. That was a realization that hit Much many times in the months after Robin's death.

John and Much were the only two of the original gang left, and Kate…well, she had drifted away, spending most of her time alone these days. Archer tried – they were glad that he did that much. But Robin had been the glue holding them together, the one guiding them to fight for those who needed them.

Without him, it was difficult. They all missed him. They needed him to be there. Without their leader, they could not find their path…

* * *

**48\. Mechanic**

"I really do not see how you managed to break this," Will informed Djaq. "Nor why you brought it to me to fix," he added.

The small Saracen woman blinked at him a few times, not quite sure what to say. The item Will held was a music box that a little girl from one of the villages had found. It had been broken then, but when she had asked Djaq to fix it, she could not resist.

"I did not do it," she replied. "But I know you can fix it, Will. You are very good at fixing things."

* * *

**49\. Mercenary**

He did not quite know what he had been thinking, trying to sneak past Ellingham and get Robin and company out of the barn. He should have known that it wasn't going to work.

At least, he thought to himself, he wasn't as much of a traitor anymore. He had done something right for the first time since he had betrayed his friends. He had helped them try to escape certain death. Failed, yes, but it had to be worth something.

And if he died because of that, he would be proud to die with his friends by his side.

* * *

**50\. Serenity**

The forest around her was quiet, peaceful, and so very beautiful. Small creatures moved through the dried leaves, causing a faint rustle in every direction.

Marian watched the trees, taking in the beauty of her surroundings. It was peaceful here, so very unlike the castle and the people there. The soft greens and browns were beautiful, particularly compared to the stark contrast of the grey stones of Nottingham Castle. There was peace in the forest, not at the castle, where Guy watched her every move.

"Enjoying the view, my love?" a deep voice asked behind her. Marian could only smile.


	11. Set XI

**51\. Office**

There was so many times where he wished he was not standing there.

Here he was, stuck in the same room as the Sheriff of Nottingham. It would not have been so bad if it was only Guy – after all, Guy was his friend. Sort of.

Still, it was better than being there alone. That was not his cup of tea, so to speak. That could get him killed.

And that was what had landed him here in the first place. Oh, how wonderful…

At least there were birds for company.

That way, he was not the only one trapped.

* * *

**52\. Sales**

He watched her move around the streets, going from vendor to vendor with an ease that almost surprised him. Almost.

Had it not been the Lady Marian that he was watching, he would have been surprised. She, who was so kindhearted that she tried to help everyone, never surprised him when she wandered about, looking at things and buying what caught her fancy when she had the coin for it.

Perhaps one day, when she was done mourning her broken betrothal to Robin of Locksley, he could buy those things for her. He would like that. Like he liked her.

* * *

**53\. Accounting**

"How did we manage to get caught in this?" John muttered, shaking his head at Will and Much.

"I have no idea," the latter replied. Will shook his head.

"We're smarter than this. We've gone in and out of this castle more times than I can count," he muttered. "At least Robin and the others got away. He'll be back for us."

"Well, here's something, at least," he said.

"What?"

"There's no accounting for the stupidity of the guards and jailer."

"What do you mean?" John asked.

Will pushed the cell door open. "The lock is broken on this one."

* * *

**54\. Management**

"I don't see why you're in charge," Roy complained. Much shot the outlaw a nasty look.

"He's in charge because he's the leader," he snapped. Robin let out a very quiet sigh. After the third time, the whole conversation was getting old.

"That doesn't make sense," Roy replied.

"It doesn't have to."

Robin shook his head again, wandering over to one of the trees near their came. He leaned against it and watched as the other men bickered. He would say this much – it was amusing, to say the very least.

It was also rather annoying, though.

Correction – very annoying.

* * *

**55\. Temp**

"Robin, that is not a solution," Marian informed him.

"This is a temp-"

"No, it is not a temporary solution. It is not a solution at all. Face it, you don't have a plan," she snapped. Robin looked at her for a long moment.

"You're right," he admitted grudgingly. "But I do have-"

"Half a plan, right? That, I doubt," she replied. "You don't have a plan, and you don't have half a plan. Guy will find us any moment, and you're going to have to explain exactly why the two of us are tied up in a tree together."


	12. Set XII

**56\. Terrorists**

"I want them gone, Gisborne!" Vaisey yelled at him. Guy made no movement or acknowledgement. "They've been terrorizing Nottingham for long enough. I want Hood hanged!"

Of course he did. He always did. Guy did, too, for that matter. He was just a little annoyed by the fact that he was being yelled at _again_. It was not as if he _tried_ to let them escape. Quite the opposite, really. It just happened that Hood had an incredible knack for getting out of situations any ordinary man should not have been able to.

It was like he was a ghost…

* * *

**57\. Deadline**

The wedding was looming. There was less than a day left. Less than a day until she had to marry Guy of Gisborne. Then, she would be trapped.

For all she had called Robin a fool upon his return, she really had meant that he was a hero. Especially to her. His words echoed in her mind constantly – he wanted to save her from this.

Once upon a time, he had told her that he loved her. That was before he had left to fight in the Holy Land, when they had been betrothed. Maybe he still loved her now…

* * *

**58\. Jack**

"What exactly are you doing?" Much asked. Djaq looked up at him, holding up her brush with one hand.

"Painting with berry juice," she informed him. "Why?"

"I was just wondering. You're constantly doing things, and I thought you might be doing something interesting."

"Well, now you know what it is. Do you need anything else?" she asked. Much shook his head.

"No, not really."

"Good," she said, turning back to the small bit of parchment in front of her.

"So, you're a physician, an artist, and a fighter…is there anything you can't do?" Much asked finally.

"I can't cook."

* * *

**59\. Defiant**

In his final hours, Robin found that he was utterly at peace – with Marian's death, with Guy, with his father, and with the cause he would give his life for in the end.

It was his last act of defiance to shoot that arrow into the castle. His body was failing and his heart longed to be reunited with the woman who had always held it. No one could ever truly replace her. Not Isabella, and not Kate. There was only Marian, his sweet, beautiful Marian.

When the time came, and she appeared, he could never remember feeling such joy.

* * *

**60\. 24**

The tent was absolutely silent but for the crackle of the fire in the brazier. Much was very still as he sat by his master's side, patiently waiting for Robin to wake.

It had been days since the attack on King Richard's camp. Robin had fallen to the wound inflicted by the assassin, and had not woken since.

"You have been there for a whole day, Much," the King's physician told him. "You must rest. I'll be here to watch over him."

Much shook his head. He continued his silent vigil, waiting and hoping that Robin would be all right.


	13. Set XIII

**61\. Girl**

In the end, it was always supposed to be the hero who got the girl. Every story Much had ever heard had always said that it was never the sidekick who got what he wanted.

There were times that he felt that that was right. This was not one of them. Racing after his former master proved that. This time, neither of them got what they wanted. Robin had lost Marian and Much was probably never going to see Eve again.

Perhaps that was how it was meant to be – the heroes always had to give up everything for others…

* * *

**62\. Secret**

Lady Marian of Knighton made little secret of the fact that she was in love with Robin Hood. To him, at least. She knew that if she was ever found out, she would lose everything. She could not afford to see her father hanged for how she felt. She would die as well, without any chance of having a semblance of normal life with Robin some day.

She would dream of that while she could, and perhaps hope that one day it might come true. Maybe once the Sheriff was taken down, they could be happy… Only time would tell.

* * *

**63\. Blood**

He felt guilty for surviving.

He had _never_ felt guilty for surviving.

Then again, he had never actually taken up a cause that wasn't his own before.

Nor, however, had he ever lost a sibling before. Now he had lost three in one day. His sister, he would admit, had not been mourned. She had had no qualms about killing him.

Robin and Guy were different. He almost wished he had actually gotten to know them. They had fought side by side, brothers at the last.

But for all their words and great skill with their swords, they died anyway.

* * *

**64\. Magic**

There was something about being Robin Hood now. Perhaps it was the way people talked about him. Or perhaps it was the way all of them loved him.

No. That was not it. He knew that there was something about his life that made him happier than anything else. Marian.

She was his light, his spark, his beautiful Marian. She was his living inspiration. Every little bit of being Robin Hood was what he did with her in mind. He loved her more than anything else.

They would be together in the end. He was sure of they would be.

* * *

**65\. Slayer**

" _I want them dead, Gisborne!"_

Vaisey was shouting again. That was nothing new.

Allan-A-Dale sighed to himself, leaning back against the wall again. Joy of all joys, he was probably going to get dragged into this yet again.

In retrospect, he really could have been smarter with his choices. He could have made better ones and not gotten himself into this. The forest would be better than this. At least his friends were there.

 _I'm not being funny, Sheriff, but you're really killing my patience_ , he thought to himself.

" _Allan!_ "

Great. What could he have possibly done wrong this time…


	14. Set XIV

**66\. Enterprise**

He had to admit, he was rather proud of himself. Particularly after the incident with that woman and her soldiers a moment ago.

It had been a great challenge to create the new camp, but he had thoroughly enjoyed it. With Djaq, Allan, and Much's company, it had been easy to work on.

As the leaves fluttered down around them and the rest of the gang clapped him on the back, Will felt like he had finally found his place. He was a part of Robin Hood's gang.

He was happy there. He was with his friends. Life was good.

* * *

**67\. Galaxy**

After his return and her almost wedding, they would sit at her window for hours, looking up at the stars above. They would talk quietly until it was very late. It was Robin's sanctuary from the day, the world, and even his gang.

For Marian, it was simply a quiet way to spend time with Robin while she could. While Guy still did not know.

They were happy this way, just sitting there and looking at the stars. There was no one to judge them or tell them that they could not. They were free to be with each other.

* * *

**68\. Federation**

This was his only chance to bring the Sheriff and the Black Knights down at once before their plan went into motion.

As he walked past the guards, the only person in his mind was the blue-eyed beauty he loved with all his heart. The only thing he regretted was that he had not told her he loved her when she could hear him.

He just prayed that she would be able to forgive him for what he was about to do, both for her and for England. Perhaps she would even be proud that he had died for England…

* * *

**69\. Next**

"Next time you won't be so lucky, Hood!" Sir Guy of Gisborne shouted at the outlaw. He watched as Hood and his minions raced off into Sherwood Forest as fast as they could.

 _Blasted outlaws_ , he thought. Hood's constant mischief was a thorn in his side. A very painful, very annoying thorn.

Hood kept dragging Guy away from Marian when he was making progress with their relationship, or he found her a gift. She was his betrothed, after all. Hood's nonsense kept preventing him from being able to spend quality time with her.

It almost seemed to be on purpose…

* * *

**70\. Generation**

The fire was Gisborne's fault.

That was the first thing that popped into Robin's mind when he saw Sir Guy of Gisborne again for the first time in more than fifteen years.

They had practically grown up together, Guy being just a little older than him. Yes, perhaps he had almost gotten Guy killed at least once…but that had been an accident.

And he wasn't the one who had killed his own parents and Robin's father. He had started the fire. He had caused their deaths.

Robin did not think he would ever quite forgive the other man for that.


	15. Set XV

**71\. Psychic**

It was as if Hood knew exactly what they were going to do. All the time.

Every single time he tried to prevent it, he ended up trying to explain everything to the Sheriff. Then he ended up having to chase Hood all through the forest.

The man could practically walk through walls and kept popping up exactly where he was not wanted, and not expected.

Like now. Now, they were trying not to end up looking like porcupines while Hood and company were shooting arrows at them. How did they move so fast?

Sometimes Guy really hated his life…

* * *

**72\. Detective**

He just _had_ to do that. Robin of Locksley had run off to the Holy Land to fight in a war, come back, gotten himself outlawed, and now he wanted her to spy for him.

The dashing outlaw, who she would never admit to caring about anymore, knew exactly what to do to make her knees weak and her heart pound. She called him a fool, but she loved him.

She said she hated him, but that was an outright lie.

She could never let anyone know. Guy would have her and her father killed because she loved Robin Hood.

* * *

**73\. Fraud**

He rather liked being Lord Much, Earl of Bonchurch. That is, until he found out that Eve was a spy for the Sheriff. The rest seemed to fade away. It was just superficial. He was not Lord Much, Earl of Bonchurch. No matter what, he was not Robin. He was a manservant who had been freed, not a true noble like his friend was.

Eve was different. She made him feel real in that role. There was a part of him that could almost be the man who was truly a noble… for her.

Now he knew how Robin felt.

* * *

**74\. Awareness**

He lost all sense of everything else when he looked into her crystalline blue eyes. The years of being parted had not dimmed her beauty or fierceness. She was still his Marian.

His greatest wish since they had parted was to see her again and present her with what he had done. He had proved that he could care for her and protect her.

Now, however, he found that he had run into a slight roadblock – she was angry with him. She was angry that he had left her.

But, he could convince her otherwise. He knew that he could.

* * *

**75\. Pharmaceutical**

"I see you lads are at it again." Matilda's sharp voice made Archer wince. "You're worse than your brother."

Archer shrugged and made no response as she stitched up Much's arm where one of Prince John's men had hit him. Then she started on the gash on Archer's forehead where he had bashed it against a rock when he'd tripped.

He had to admit, he did wish that Robin was still alive. Things would be so much easier if he was. Archer never was the person with 'half a plan' like his brother.

"Am I really that much like him?"


	16. Set XVI

**76\. No Turning Back**

Too late, he realized the significance of his choice. It was not until he lost everything that it made its impact. Doing the right thing had its consequences.

He was sure of his actions. If he had let his villagers die, he would have been dooming himself to live with that for the rest of his life. He would have been just as guilty as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Their blood would have been on his hands, too.

Then he would have been no better than the Sheriff. Being an outlaw for doing right was better.

It was his choice.

* * *

**77\. No Backing Down**

This was wrong. Everything about it was wrong.

When he had agreed to work for Gisborne, this was _not_ what he had in mind. Kidnapping Marian (because that was the only thing he could call it), going to kill the King – it was wrong! All of it.

This was not what he had had in mind. This was not what he meant to do. And he was not going to stand for it.

For once in his life, Allan-A-Dale was going to do the right thing. Now he just had to figure out a way to get Marian out, too…

* * *

**78\. Nowhere to Run**

It was odd, he thought to himself. When you knew you were going to die, there was a strange sense of calm.

He had been stupid, he knew. Rushing after the man who wanted to kill his King – the one who had once hired him to kill Robin of Locksley – had not been intelligent.

Now he was paying for it. There was nothing he could do. It was his own fault. He had to face the consequences. All of his skills meant nothing now.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to turn. No going back. Carter knew he was going to die.

* * *

**79\. No One to Trust**

She was alone. No one to turn to, nobody to trust.

Guy's arms around her as he tried to comfort her only seemed to burn with unholy fire, scorching her soft skin. She pushed him away, tears flooding down her cheeks. She could not bear it.

Fleeing did her no good. Her father was still dead, and she was still alone. That was all she could think about, even as Robin wrapped her in his arms a few moments later. But as she spoke, she realized something… She was not quite so alone. Robin was there and he loved her…

* * *

**80\. No Place to Hide**

He couldn't do it anymore – he could not hide in the forest as an outlaw. The noble was right, for all he had led a pampered life before.

He was a dead man, but even dead men could still fight.

He supposed that Robin had given him a reason to fight again. Now he remembered what he had left behind – no. Now he _knew_ what he had left behind. His wife and son.

John Little would fight for them. Even as a dead man, he should not hide. There was no reason for him to; he would not. Not anymore.


	17. Set XVII

**81\. Ranger**

Carter had spent months traveling before he even knew where he was going. He wandered, lost in the grief that had swallowed him with his brother's death. Thomas had not needed to die that day. Robin of Locksley was to blame for that. He had caused all of this, and he would pay for it.

As time wore on, he discovered that Robin had returned to England, and he set out to follow, intent on avenging his brother's death.

But then the time came, he found that he could not do it. Maybe revenge was not so sweet after all…

* * *

**82\. Cavalier**

When he had proposed to her, it had been the happiest day of her life. The sun was bright, the air was cool, and the man she loved was asking her to be his for the rest of their lives.

Things could not have been more perfect if Robin had planned it.

Not even the sudden downpour of spring rain could dampen her spirits. Her husband-to-be was the perfect gentleman – kind, daring, honorable, and so very courageous. He was her knight in shining armor, ready to take any challenge on for her alone. No matter what happened.

Then everything changed.

* * *

**83\. Thief**

She had thought that he was just like all of the others.

Never once had she imagined the seemingly harsh, cruel Sir Guy of Gisborne to be so caring.

Even as she lay in his arms, her side aching where the blade had pierced it, she could not regret it. She could admit to herself that she had been wrong.

He had stolen her heart without either of them even knowing, in those little moments when they had spoken to each other in prison.

She was just sorry that she could not be there to continue what they had started…

* * *

**84\. Acrobat**

Most of her morning had been spent up a tree so far. It had not been an accident, but a choice.

Currently, she was watching Will walk around in circles as she dropped acorns around him. She was surprised that the young man was going that. Every time he almost found her acorn, she would drop another one, which made him think that there was someone else nearby.

When he finally looked up, shock invaded his expression. "What are you doing up there?" he asked. Djaq smiled at him.

"Playing games with silly men," she replied. Will shook his head.

* * *

**85\. Barbarian**

"There are some things that a nobleman does not do, Robin," Malcolm told his son. "Getting into brawls is one of them."

"But-" Robin tried to protest. His father gave him a look.

"No, Robin. Most arguments can be solved in other ways, and when you are Lord of Locksley, you will understand. You cannot solve everything with your fists. I hope that you have learned your lesson today," Malcolm continued. His son let out a sigh, fingering his black eye.

"Yes, Father," the boy replied.

"And what have you learned?"

"I need to learn to hit harder than Guy."


	18. Set XVIII

**86\. Boys**

She was just one of the lads to them. Except to Will, maybe. Djaq was not precisely sure about the tall, quiet young man. He was a bit of a mystery.

Most of the time, she liked that they included her in everything like that, as if she was not any different from them. It was rather necessary when they lived in the forest, though. It wasn't as though a dress was practical there.

There were other times, however, where she wished that she had someone who understood her situation. It was not like Marian could help, as it was…

* * *

**87\. Mountain**

The day Marian agreed to marry him was easily the best day of his life. Robin had been ready to shout it from the hills that the woman he loved was willing to spend her life with him.

Then she had gone back to the castle. Admittedly, she had done it to save him, but the joy had nearly died when he saw her leaving with Gisborne. He knew that her heart was not where she was going, but there, with him…but that did not mean that he had to like it. He most certainly did not. He hated it.

* * *

**88\. Town**

It was not very often that Will Scarlet sat on the hill overlooking Locksley and watched the village. If someone did that, it was undoubtedly Robin or Much. John just went into town, and Djaq…well, he doubted that she would go out and sit on a hill just to watch people she barely knew.

He let out a sigh as he watched the villagers – some of whom he had known for his entire life – move around. His father had built half of the houses there. He missed his home in the village. Part of him knew that he always would.

* * *

**89\. Controversy**

He hated staying silent. In that single instant, something that he knew was wrong was coming to pass. And he could not do a single thing about it. To try to argue would be to disrespect King Richard and England, even if the ruler was wrong.

Carter knew that it was wrong. Robin and his gang had always been the King's most faithful servants, even to the point of death. Leaving them to die in shame was wrong. So very, very wrong.

But so long as he was in Richard's presence, he could do nothing. He was trapped by loyalty.

* * *

**90\. Profanity**

The Sheriff was raging again.

It happened quite often, he knew. That, however, did not mean that it was an enjoyable occurrence. This time, it was because Robin and company had 'liberated' a large sum of money from a convoy traveling to London for Prince John. Nothing unusual in that.

There was, however, something that was very unusual in the amount of temper that the sheriff was showing. He was swearing up and down the walls, practically.

At least, Allan thought to himself, he wasn't in there again. The week before Vaisey had been throwing things with fairly decent accuracy…


	19. Set XIX

**91\. Steed**

When they were children, Robin was always the knight, riding around on his pony with Much chasing after him, pretending to be the outlaw that Robin would play at shooting with an imaginary bow.

He always died the most spectacular deaths when Robin 'killed' him. Once, he had fallen over and refused to get up because he was playing dead. Robin had dragged him into a mud puddle after that, but Much had gotten his revenge, and oh, had that revenge been sweet. So very sweet…

Thornton had not been happy when they came in all covered in mud later.

* * *

**92\. Peel**

All he actually had to do was run into someone, and he could get anything away from them he wanted. Allan-A-Dale was one of the fastest thieves in all of Nottingham. He never got caught.

Until he actually did get caught. For poaching deer.

Now, in that situation, he would have normally tried to get out of it, and he would have had a better excuse…only he still hadn't thought he would get caught…

After all, getting caught was for idiots. Wait, that made him an idiot, too. That did not work at all. He wasn't an idiot. Okay, maybe…

* * *

**93\. Gale**

She was furious. She had not taken his news well, but rather thrown the betrothal ring he had given her at his head. It had flown outside of the window after that.

Robin had left it wherever it had landed (part of him hoped that she would find it again) and simply left. He had thought she would understand. He had thought that she would be proud of him for doing his duty to king and country. She was not.

Next, she was whirling about, looking for the beloved ring. She could not find it, but she did days later.

* * *

**94\. Stylish**

Marian of Knighton was always the most beautiful woman at the banquets. Her soft brown hair and her crystalline blue eyes were striking. Her porcelain skin was flawless in the torchlight. Her dress was always perfectly cut to be flattering, always at the height of Nottingham fashion.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, save for his mother, Lady Ghislane, before her death.

Guy would give anything for a chance to win Marian – he saw all of the suitors trailing behind her, but he saw how she rejected every single one.

He knew he could win her.

* * *

**95\. Needed**

He was their hero. He was their defender and their hope.

He was _her_ hero. Marian called him a fool, but she loved him more than she ever thought she could. She said she hated him, but in reality, all she wanted to say to him was _I love you._ She said she would never marry Robin Hood, but she meant _I would marry him no matter what, Guy of Gisborne. Not you. I love him._

She needed Robin as much as England did. Yet, she knew that she could never have him because of that. They needed him, too.


	20. Set XX

**96\. Theater**

This was fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. He had just gotten kicked out of the gang, and the first thing that the Sheriff did when he found that Allan was working for Guy was try to boil him in oil.

Admittedly, it was to try to kill Robin, not Allan, but still. It was not fair.

' _I'm not being funny, but why do I always get stuck in these situations?'_ he asked himself.

That was a good question, but he still had to get out of being the entertainment. Preferably alive, if he could manage it. He wasn't sure he could, though…

* * *

**97\. Singing**

Malcolm of Locksley paused by the door to his only son's room. The boy lay quietly in his bed, slumbering deeply. The poor boy had been through so much pain in the last few days without his mother.

He had had such a hard time getting to sleep earlier, even with his father's gentle voice lulling him into unconsciousness. The loss of his mother at such a young age had already made a great impact on Robin.

But his son was a strong lad, bearing the grief better than his father did. He was proud of his son for that.

* * *

**98\. Jokes**

He was tired of the squirrel jokes. Very, very tired of them. Every time he turned around, they seemed to be asking if the chicken he cooked was a squirrel. He had half a mind to actually catch a squirrel for them.

Three days later, they asked him what the meat they were having for dinner was.

"Squirrel," he answered. They just stared at him. They had asked for it, after all.

"Squirrel?" Allan asked. Much gave him a slightly annoyed look. Typical of the thief not to listen to him.

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"You made _squirrel_?"

* * *

**99\. Guests**

Marian was sick of unwanted guests. It had been different in Knighton Hall, when her father had still been alive. It was different when it was Robin, even if his visits had been somewhat unwanted from time to time.

However, the fact that Guy kept coming to her room was irritating her now. He had sent Allan at least twice to fetch her for some reason or another, and even the Sheriff had stopped by unannounced.

The only unannounced visitor she was glad to see anymore was Robin. When he was with her, she did not feel quite so trapped.

* * *

**100\. Puppets**

There was one thing Robin of Locksley was not willing to do, and that was be a puppet in the Sheriff's schemes.

Had he known what he was getting into the moment he made that split-second decision, he did not think he would have been willing to make a different decision. There were others that he wished to take back, but never that one.

He was not a pawn to play with, and he intended to make sure Vaisey knew that very well. The Sheriff of Nottingham was going to pay for what he had done, and so was Gisborne…


End file.
